Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Love Saves the World is thrilled beyond words to be part of the release-day celebration for Julie Anne Long's much, much-awaited The Legend of Lyon Redmond.

Avon Romance is hosting a Blast wide giveaway for a $50.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller and a second prize of a Complete Print Set of the Pennyroyal Green Series, Including THE LEGEND OF LYON REDMOND. (Enter via Rafflecopter below.) Click here to follow the tour.

Bound by centuries of bad blood, England’s two most powerful families maintain a veneer of civility ... until the heir to the staggering Redmond fortune disappears, reviving rumors of an ancient curse: a Redmond and an Eversea are destined to fall disastrously in love once per generation.

An enduring legend

Rumor has it she broke Lyon Redmond’s heart. But while many a man has since wooed the dazzling Olivia Eversea, none has ever won her -- which is why jaws drop when she suddenly accepts a viscount’s proposal. Now London waits with bated breath for the wedding of a decade ... and wagers on the return of an heir.

An eternal love

It was instant and irresistible, forbidden ... and unforgettable. And Lyon -- now a driven, dangerous, infinitely devastating man -- decides it’s time for a reckoning. As the day of her wedding races toward them, Lyon and Olivia will decide whether their love is a curse destined to tear their families part ... or the stuff of which legends are made.

Excerpt:

Then again, indirectly, Lord Lavay and his friend the Earl of Ardmay were indirectly the reason Lyon still walked the earth, and they had sacrificed a fortune in reward money to allow him to walk away. Though Lyon primarily had his sister, Violet, to thank for that. Men will do things for women they wouldn’t otherwise in their right minds do.

No one knew that better than Lyon.

“I’m glad,” he said, at last. Curtly. But he meant it. Lavay was a good man, and Lyon had learned that good men were too scarce, and the loss of one was a loss for all.

Lavay was also the only man in the world who knew where to find Lyon Redmond right now. And one of the very few people in the world who knew him by his three identities: The real one. The assumed one.

And the one that could get him hanged.

Even if this message was a trap to lure him back to Sussex or into the Crown’s custody, it mattered little. Lyon had become a man who could elude or escape any trap, by any means necessary.

In all likelihood this message was Lavay’s way of discharging a debt of honor.

“Lord Lavay is a fine man, the finest I know, sir,” the footman maintained stoutly, into the silence. “He married his housekeeper. Mrs. Fountain.”

Lyon said this so bitterly everyone blinked as if he’d flicked something caustic into their eyes.

He drew in a long breath.

“And where is Lord Lavay at this very moment, Ramsey?”

“I expect he’s still in Pennyroyal Green sir, a village in Sussex, where I left him. You see, given that he’s newly married and … well, he’s quite taken a shine to the place. Right nice town, it is,” he extemporized, brightening.

“Is it?” Lyon said with such flat and brutal irony that his crew swiveled toward him in surprise, eyes wide.

He was beginning to alarm them.

He was beginning to alarm himself.

Because for the first time in years time Lyon wasn’t certain what he wanted to do.

Damn Olivia Eversea, anyway.

She’d knocked his world off its axis from that first moment in the ballroom, when she’d turned to him and smiled, and ...

Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up, and she has the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of her closet t prove it. When playing to indifferent crowds at midnight in dank clubs lost its, ahem, charm, she realized she could incorporate all of the best things about being in a band—namely, drama, passion and men with unruly hair -- into novels, while at the same time indulging her love of history and research. So she made the move from guitar to keyboard (the computer variety) and embarked on a considerably more civilized, if not much more peaceful, career as a novelist.

Julie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with a fat orange cat. (Little known fact: they issue you a cat the minute you become a romance novelist.)

Grandmother, grandmother, who shall it be
Who shall it be who will marry me?
Duke, Earl, a powerful marquess?
When my heart is given to Fyclan Morris ...

In New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell’s new novella, beautiful Jennifer Tarleton has no lack of noble suitors, but the only man who captures her attention is the one her father will never let her marry: Fyclan Morris. He’s a brash adventurer, witty, courageous ... and Irish! Even worse, her father blames her for their reversal of fortune ...

And it’s a fortune -- or rather his grandmother the fortune teller -- who foretold that Fyclan would meet “the one”, a love prophesied in the stars. He vows nothing will stand in the way of making Jennifer his bride, but is the price too high? Or is a thing called love worth every challenge?

Excerpt:

From almost the day he of his birth, his Gran had cooed in his ear that he was destined for great things, something she’d never said to his brother -- and her words had proven true. How else could a poor lad from County Cork find himself on the brink of being named a director to the powerful East India Company?

But it wasn’t just money his Gran had offered. “When you meet this woman, hold on to her,” she’d said. “Your children’s children will be dukes and princes. They will stride the world. But first, you must meet the woman.”

His Gran had cupped his chin with her cold, frail hand. “You are right, my chava, but she will not be just any woman. She will be your destiny. Your purpose.”

To a boy, such talk was gibberish. Like every other Irish lad his age, Fyclan was mad for horses and adventure. This talk of “purpose” had been beyond his understanding -- especially when it involved lasses. He was going to be a military man. He would win honor and glory and own a stable of a fifty horses, and he wasn’t going to share one of them with a lass.

However now, he was a man, and wiser to the ways of the world. He’d proven he understood money. He’d made fortunes for his superiors as well as his own. There was no telling how far he could climb, especially since many whispered Fyclan’s smart leadership had saved the Company from another bankruptcy. It was commonly allowed that if he kept his current path, he would someday be knighted.

And certainly, many of the current directors had their eye on him as a husband for their daughters, but Fyclan had not been tempted. No, he’d been waiting for her, the one his Gran had promised -- the lady in blue with golden hair and creamy skin whose path had just crossed his.

Fyclan Morris grew up believing in his grandmother's prophesied promise, and he had already seen half of it fulfilled. Fyclan, am Irishman, has defied convention (and discrimination) to rise up the ranks of the East India Company. He now has wealth, some power and a bit of influence -- and all that Fyclan is waiting for is The One his grandmother promised him.

When he sees Jennifer Tarleton, Fyclan knew, without a doubt, that she was the one he had been waiting for.

I have to admit that there is something alluring to the idea of predestination -- that everything is already written, and all we need to do is turn the page. It seems so easy, and so tempting to just rest and be assured that all will happen when it happens. It seems that Fyclan's path has been paved smooth for him -- but that would be unfair for Fyclan, who had worked hard to get to where he was now.

The obvious obstacle is Fyclan's nationality and background. Then there's the added complication that Jennifer's father loathes Fyclan, and resents him for his removal from the East India company, but it's the revelation about Jennifer that pushed this from a conventional story, to an outstanding one.

The stars incline, but do not compel. The ideal would be that they would fall in love at first sight, and live happily ever after. But life isn't a fairy tale, and Cathy Maxwell does a good job of reminding us that, despite destiny, despite the stars, and the cosmos -- there is human will, and, in Jennifer's case, human frailty that we need to consider.

Jennifer could have easily refused Fyclan, and Fyclan could have given up after discovering who Jennifer's father is. In the end, it isn't that their meeting and falling in love had been pre-ordained, it's that they chose to love.

At the end of the novella, I am amazed by how much story Cathy Maxwell was able to include -- and I am excited by the promise of seeing where Fyclan's grandmother's prophecy will take him, and Jennifer in the future.

Disclosure: I received this ARC through Edelweiss. Thank you to Cathy Maxwell and Avon Impulse for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.

* * *

New York Times Bestselling Author, Cathy Maxwell, spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. She lives in beautiful Virginia with children, horses, dogs, and cats.

Erotic Romance set in Regency Era America with heroines who are Wild, Wicked and Wanton.

She wanted just one naughty carriage ride ...

Beth McConnell has a secret. Sometimes in the afternoons, she escapes the drudgery of her family's shop and seduces wealthy gentlemen. One encounter is all Beth allows. She must leave them burning.

When she boldly seduces Grey Sexton, a powerful shipping magnate, Beth finds his ice-over-fire combination of ironclad self-control and sensual indulgence too tempting to resist. Surely, one or two more clandestine trysts wouldn't hurt?

But Grey Sexton demands more. His possessive determination to own her, body and soul, threatens to expose her erotic life. To give into his demands means losing her good name and her place in her brother's home ... everything she holds dear. She must turn away, for she knows that a poor girl can never afford to trust her heart to a gentleman.

Reader Advisory: Grey's Lady is an erotic/hot historical romance. It contains scenes of frequent, explicit sex and graphic sexual language. It contains a non-traditional romance plot and an unconventional heroine.

* * *

White Lace and Promises

New York Merchant Prince Grey Sexton loves the audacious, spirited young temptress who seduced him in a Philadelphia bookseller’s and made passionate love to him in his carriage. Her fiery nature broke through his cold self-protection.

Beth McConnell loves her husband-to-be very much, yet she wonders if she will ever be able to present herself as the respectable lady he needs for his wife.

What started out as a secret, tumultuous affair has blossomed into something neither of them can live without. But under the strains created by the differences in their social rank, they begin to have serious doubts about the future. And dark secrets from their past threaten to tear them apart.

In the wake of a devastating epidemic, sheltered Emily Eliot finds herself alone, making her own decisions for the first time. When desperation leads her to sell her virtue, she walks straight into trouble.

Enter one gorgeous, golden haired gentleman bent on protecting her.

Alexander Dalton came to the Blue Duck Tavern seeking to lose himself in sexual pleasure. But when he saw the delicate and vulnerable young woman, he couldn't turn away.

Emily is alarmed by her own intense responses as this charismatic and carnal man introduces her to erotic pleasure. Having lived as a virtual prisoner of her grandmother's suffocating manipulation, Emily bridles under Alex's possessive, protectiveness. And Alex's charming smile hides a dark secret that could destroy their chance at happiness.

Love is the most seductive sacrifice of all. Before he can share his deepest, darkest secrets with her, he has to show her what seduction truly means.

For the first time in a long time, Alex is genuinely happy. He's found a woman he can love. Now he wants only to enjoy his life. But the past won't let him go. His dark secrets threaten to engulf him. Yet how can he tell his innocent fiancée about the horrific things he's experienced?

Emily finds herself locked in a battle with the darkness that appears to hold Alex captive. As he reveals more of his inner torment, as he seduces her into carnal decadence, she wonders who is this man she's so desperately in love with.

Can their love survive this intense journey of erotic exploration, shocking revelations and unsettling discoveries?

Natasha Blackthorne writes hot & sensual Erotic Historical Romance where deeply flawed characters find love & trust. Her stories are most frequently about the intimate journey of the characters as they learn to open their hearts to love.

Natasha’s heroines are not perfect ladies. They are wildflowers and wallflowers who flirt with the forbidden. Whether they are bold or shy, these heroines’ strong desires and deep emotions drive the plot and drive their heroes to the point of no return. Natasha’s heroes are strong and dominant and live their lives with strength and purpose. They support their women in everything.

Natasha holds a B.A. in History, loves reading, cats and music. Readers are welcomed to Friend her on Facebook where she is most socially active online.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Ariana of Clairmont would risk anything to save her kidnapped brother, a quest she knows is fraught with peril. Her only ally is Braedon le Chasseur, a formidable knight with a mysterious past, whose scarred face and brooding nature mask a soul filled with pain. Ariana fears this dangerous man and the secrets he strives to conceal -- but Braedon's touch is pure seduction, his kiss a potent lure that tempts her into a passion she is powerless to resist.

Once known as The Hunter, now haunted by a dark legacy he struggles to deny, Braedon lives in a world of shadow and isolation -- until he is thrust together with an innocent beauty in need of his protection. Embarking on a journey that will lead them to a legendary treasure, Braedon will be forced to confront old enemies and the stunning secret of his true nature -- or risk losing Ariana and the only happiness he has ever known ...

HEART OF THE HUNTER is the first book in an award-winning historical paranormal romance series from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Lara Adrian (originally published under the pen name Tina St. John).

Dragon Chalice series reading order:
Heart of the Hunter
Heart of the Flame
Heart of the Dove
(The complete series is also available as an ebook box set.)

Winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best Historical Romantic Adventure of the Year

Sassy found herself in trouble after her father the vicar’s death -- more than the usual kind. She has turned twenty-one and is going through transition as her powers of light magic are completed.

Not quite penniless but no longer able to stay in her home, as a new vicar would arrive to take over the parsonage, she has to find a respectable position.

She finds one through her late mother’s friend, as a tutor at Netherby Halls.
As she makes the journey to Netherby she meets the man who has been making love to her in her dreams ... the irresistible Marquis of Dartmour.

Things at Netherby are not what they seem.
The handsome marquis is not what he seems, and Sassy ... Sassy has to find her way through a maze of evil and magic.

After years of following her improvident father through war-torn Europe, Miss Emily Proudfoot has returned to England to open a girls’ school. She wants a place where she can live a peaceful life, enjoy the challenge of educating young minds, and where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. All is going to plan -- until repairs are needed to the school, and a most unusual man-of-all-work applies for the job. Lucas is tall, dark, and disturbing and he has a habit of turning up in places where Emily least expects him.

Lucas Bannister, an undercover spy, has been sent to Miss Proudfoot’s Academy for Young Ladies to find evidence that someone is blackmailing several vulnerable people. The most likely suspect is Miss Proudfoot herself so he sets out to get to know her better. That was his first mistake -- Miss Proudfoot is not quite the criminal he expected. She's bossy, hard-working, and ... adorable.

The danger grows, the layers of deception deepen. How can Emily possibly trust Lucas when all he’s done is lie to her? And how can Lucas do the job he’s been sent to do when he finds himself falling in love with his main suspect?

The spirited Catherine Malboeuf has just arrived in England to reclaim her ancestral home, Walsley Manor, and a valuable missing heirloom. Nicholas Adair, the attractive and frustratingly inflexible Duke of Boulstridge, however, is quite unwilling to sell the estate back to Catherine. Unless, of course, she accepts a small wager ...

Nick will sell Walsley Manor if -- and only if -- Catherine secures an offer of marriage from an eligible member of the ton before the end of the London season.

Of course, Nick is certain he'll win. After all, no proper gentleman would ever marry a woman who conceals a cutlass in her skirts. Yet something about Catherine's unconventional disposition seems to ignite a need deep inside him. A need that won't just cost him the wager, but the very heart he swore to never give away ...

A reluctant heiress resigned to her fate ... Mary Elizabeth Edwardes has one of the largest fortune's in England, but has no desire to leave her quiet country existence ... and even less to acquire a husband she cannot choose for herself.

A dissolute nobleman bent on retribution ... Trapped in a duplicitous existence since scandal destroyed his fortune and family name, Lord Hadley Blanchard has spent the better part of a decade posing as a disaffected exile while spying and seducing in the service of the English Crown.

A dangerous game of seduction, and intrigue ... When summoned from abroad by a former lover, Lord Hadley perceives an opportunity for vengeance at last. By employing the full measure of his seductive charm, he woos the ward of the man who destroyed his life, little knowing that winning Mary's fortune will mean risking his own treacherous heart

Lady Lavinia Vaile knows what happens to a woman who puts her faith in society. For her, it was a disastrous marriage to a depraved man -- one she threatened to shoot when she left him. Now Lavinia lives outside of society’s strict conventions, hosting private gambling parties. It’s only when her husband is shot dead that Lavinia finds herself in terrible danger ...

A former judge in India’s high court, Maximilian Harrison will do anything he can to help Lavinia. In the darkest of times, he held on to thoughts of her and the love they once shared. Now he risks his own position in society -- along with his ambitions -- in order to clear her name. Yet as desire reignites between them, Lavinia remains caught up in secrets and shame. Her only salvation is to do the unthinkable ... and trust in both Maximilian and love.

When a scheming marquess's daughter offers her one hundred pounds to publicly kiss a nobleman, a desperate Jessamin Wright agrees. She believes the money will save her failing bookstore and finally free her from her father's debts. But when Jess bursts into an aristocratic party and shocks the entire ton, she never expects to enjoy the outrageous embrace she shares with a grim viscount.

Lucius Crawford, Viscount Grimsby, has never met, or kissed, anyone like the beautiful suffragette who unsettles him with a single touch. He has always strived for control and avoided passion at all costs. Lucius is determined to protect his title and restore the estate he's unexpectedly inherited, but Jess's appearance in his life poses a threat to his plans and his heart. After a country house party brings them together once more, neither can resist temptation, and both find that one scandalous kiss just isn't enough.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Percy Hayes is the guy we all hate, but secretly want to be. By his own admission, he has the perfect life: his parents love him, his extended family dote on him, his governesses and tutors treated him well. He's in good health, in possession of a good fortune and good friends. He has just celebrated his thirtieth birthday, and everything in his life is blessedly uneventful.

Imogen Hayes, Lady Barclay, is one of the survivors, and her inclusion in the Survivors Club is a mystery: what everyone knows is that she and her husband, the late Viscount Barclay, had been captured by the French, and she had witnessed his death. Imogen never gives any details: was he tortured? Was she raped? Did she and her husband suffer in captivity? There's always been a respectful silence and distance about her experience in the Peninsula.

These two have nothing in common, except a shared family name, and have never met, know only of the other's existence, and have never made the effort to get further acquainted, which was fine for both of them -- but, during his 30th birthday, Percival Hayes impulsively decides that it was time to visit Hardford Hall in Cornwall, the seat of the late Earl of Hardford, and Imogen's home for the past eight years.

It was aggravation at first sight, and that isn't a surprising reaction, considering how very, very different Percy and Imogen's lives and worlds are. Percy lived a very entitled and fortunate life -- he has never experienced any great tragedies. Imogen's life is defined by that one great, and terrible, and indelible tragedy. Percy walks the earth assured that nothing bad will happen to him. Imogen has already had something horrific happen to her. Of course Imogen resents Percy -- who wouldn't? And Percy has the unfortunate tendency to just blurt things out -- and say things no one dares to mention. Truly, there is nothing that redeems him in Imogen's eyes.

"Well, you do seem to have managed very well without Hardford Hall for the past two years," she said. "Now having come here on what seems to be some sort of whim, you have whipped yourself into a thoroughly bad temper. Why not go away and forget about our peculiar ways and be sweet-tempered again?"
- Chapter 4

And that's what makes this such a spellbinding love story -- how do we come to fall in love? How do we find that quality in the other that will pull us in and make us love them? Perhaps it was proximity, perhaps it was the location -- but love did find our hero and heroine. It's then that we realise how refreshing Percy's company is -- Imogen didn't have to pretend. Imogen didn't have to be polite. She allowed herself to be as unfiltered as Percy was -- and it was liberating. In the previous books of the Survivors Club series, I don't recall Imogen laughing. I vaguely remember polite smiles, but never laughter -- but, with audacious, rude, brash Percy, she laughed.

One would think Imogen would find comfort and love in one of the survivors, and I secretly hoped she and the Duke of Stanbrook would be the next (and final) pairing. I honestly thought they were perfect for each other: neighbours, with a shared experience, similar temperaments, etc. but Mary Balogh shows how intimately she knows her characters -- Imogen and George would have been a comfortable pairing, but what Imogen needed is someone who would challenge her out of her comfort zone.

What did her self-discipline hide? Why would she not let go of it? Mourning for eight years after a four-year marriage surely was excessive and self-absorbed. But he would not pry further. She would not tell him, and if she did, he had the feeling he really, really would not want to know.

What had happened to her when she was in captivity?

"If I wear marble as an armor," she said, breaking the strange silence, which had made him very aware of the elemental roar of the sea and the harsh, lonely cry of seagulls, "then you wear charm, Lord Hardford. A careless sort of charm. One wonders what lies behind it."
- Chapter 7

It's amazing how Mary Balogh has plotted out this series -- Imogen's book is already Book 6, and one would think we already know everything about the survivors, only to realise that there is so much more we do not know. There is such thoughtfulness and insight to her writing, but also an emotional intensity that just leaves you breathless.

A word of warning: don't read the excerpt for Only Beloved, the Duke of Stanbrook's book at the end, because you'll end up desperately, desperately wanting to read it -- then you realize it isn't coming out until May 2016. Agony!

Only a Kiss is Book 6 in Mary Balogh's amazing Survivor's Club series. To find out more about Mary Balogh and her books, click below:

Thursday, September 24, 2015

What is Throwback Thursday?
Traditionally, Throwback Thursday celebrates nostalgia, asking participants to post a personal photo or an image from their past -- usually from 5 to 10 years ago. There are a lot of book blogs that also do a book-related Throwback Thursday.

The Historical Romance Edition:
Since Mary of Buried Under Romance and I are unapologetic lovers of historical romances, we've decided to focus on our beloved genre.

Here are our rules:
1. It must be posted on a Thursday.
2. It must be a historical romance novel published before October 3, 2008.

Joan Johnston is a masterful creator of unforgettable characters and stories that make you feel as if you're falling in love again. Now she sweeps you back to Regency-era Scotland, where a determined young woman challenges a man's world -- even as she embraces the outsider who protects her life and steals her heart ...

When the tall, rugged stranger stepped out of the shadows and rescued her from a fate worse than death, Katherine MacKinnon knew she had found her bodyguard. With his steely arms and reckless courage, he would shield her from her clansmen, who refused to accept her as laird, and from the hated Duke of Blackthorne, who controlled her family's lands. As her desire grew for the mysterious man who was constantly by her side, she had no idea that she was falling in love with the enemy himself ...

I’m suffocating under the weight of others’ expectations. If I have to sit through one more afternoon tea, listening to my simpering stepmother extoll the benefits of traditional roles for women, I fear I’ll scream, “The world is changing. It’s 1900!”

I want more from life than she can imagine.

If she knew of my interest in Gabriel, she’d have a fit of the vapors. She’d bemoan his humble beginnings and lack of wealth rather than recognize his integrity or his loyalty to his brothers. If she saw how he stares at me, as though I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve, she’d lock me in my room. He fascinates me, as no one has since that awful day.

How can we surmount society’s prejudices and allow our love to grow?

Banished Love -- Book One in the Banished Sag -- romantic historical fiction; a clean romance.

When Trevor Claremont was blind-sided by a pickpocket on the docks beside his clipper ship, he tracked down the culprit -- only to face a feisty, emerald-eyed beauty who stirred his hungriest desires. Seeing a solution to his pressing problem of finding a bride to please his dying grandmother, he offered her a deal: marriage to him ...or prison, never imaging that this little cut-purse would also steal his heart.

The Sea Captain

Kristen Johnstone realized she'd been outfoxed by this handsome Englishman and reluctantly agreed to a marriage in name only. Soon, she traded rags for resplendent gowns, black alleys for drawing rooms, and fury for fiery passion in the arms of her new husband. But when the scandalous secrets of her past came to light, she would risk everything, including her heart to save a love more precious than gold.

Adam Chamberlin was the third son of a duke, known for gambling binges and drunken nights. No one expected anything of him ... until tragedy strikes. Now Adam is the new Duke of Rothford, determined to right the wrongs he's done. Except a secret in his past means helping the one woman who doesn't want his help at all ...

It's not every day that a duke introduces himself to a woman sitting by herself in Hyde Park. Faith Cooper is even more surprised when Adam offers her a position as a lady's companion to his elderly aunt. Faith refuses to be beholden to a man again -- certainly not this man, who both infuriates and attracts her. But with passion simmering between them, will Faith surrender to forbidden desire?

Declan, the Duke of Banbury, has no interest in ushering Rosalie Hughes, his stepsister, into society.Dumped on him with nowhere else to go, he's determined to rid himself of the headstrong debutante by bestowing on her an obscenely large dowry ... making her the most sought-after heiress of the Season.

... is about to become the only one he wants

But Rosalie isn't about to go along with Declan's plans. Surrounded by fortune hunters, how is she supposed to find a man who truly wants her? Taking control of her fate, Rosalie dons a disguise and sneaks into Sodom, a private club host to all manner of illicit activity -- and frequented by her infuriatingly handsome stepbrother.

In a shadowed alcove, Declan can't resist the masked temptress who sets his blood afire ... any more than Rosalie can deny her longing for a man who will send her into ruin.